While factory-connected wires and cables terminating in plugs or receptacles may be moulded around the actual connection of the conductors to contacts, to thereby provide a strong stable connection, such a connection is not readily obtained where a wire or cable must be joined to a plug or receptacle in the field. In most cases such connectors have in the past required the use of screw terminals in which the bare end of a wire is jammed between a screw and a contact piece.
In some cases two part housings have been provided wherein the two parts are also held together by two or more screws.
In the simplest cases these connections have tended to be lacking in strength and durability leading, for example, to the cable being pulled loose of the connection causing a short circuit or a circuit interruption. In more elaborate arrangements the connections have been more stable but have been bulky, and difficult and time consuming in assembly.
In most of these cases one had to be concerned to avoid loss of parts, such as the screws; and to have tools available, such as the proper type screwdriver.
There has clearly been an ongoing need for a connector in which the cable can be connected quickly and with minimum time input to provide a stable and durable connection without the problems noted above.
Against this background a connector has been devised which address various of these problems.